


The Singer

by ghostchibi



Series: Arcverse [8]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Agender Character, Alternate Universe, Disabled Character, F/M, Gen, Multi, Nate is a goddamn flirt, Other, Polyamory, Trans Male Character, a pre-war AU I guess???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 16:52:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5673397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostchibi/pseuds/ghostchibi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pre-War!AU; Danse is a Boston PD detective with a massive crush on the singer who performs at the local cafe every Friday night. Not that he has any chance at all, but it's nice to imagine. His best friends, fellow detective Arthur Maxson and Aurelia "Lone Wanderer" Goldstein, try to knock some sense into him through the whole fiasco.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Singer

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of an experiment? I had ideas of pre-war AU stuff with Arc and Danse, and then this came from it. I might continue it if there's enough interest, but for now it's just this.
> 
> Also, I finally came up with a first name for Danse. Shoutout to [logicalfangirl](http://logicalfangirl.tumblr.com) on tumblr for the suggestion.

"I swear to god, Danse, you are going to drive me fucking insane."

Aurelia doesn't get to say a damn thing, Danse thinks, because he had absolutely just caught her making eyes at one of the girls at the cafe. Arthur ignores both of them and glances around himself, and Danse knows that he's up to no good either.

"You both still come with me anyway," he grumbles, flicking his lighter and cursing when it fails to light. When he looks up, Aurelia is holding her cigarette out to him, offering to light his with the burning end of hers. Danse nods his head a little in thanks, watching as the paper alights.

"Because we're trying to make sure you don't make a fool of yourself. Right, Arthur? Arthur. _Arthur!_ "

The younger man startles and stares back at Aurelia, blinking. She glowers at him and shakes her head, taking a swig from her drink.

"I hate both of you so much."

"Which is why you always come with us everywhere," Arthur points out. "But, erm. Aurelia is right."

"Really, Arthur? You come here every week because you want to make sure I don't make a fool of myself?"

"I'll only admit to anything that won't get me yelled at."

Aurelia snorts. The lights dim, and both Aurelia and Arthur glance toward Danse as his eyes go straight to the stage.

It's the same introduction that's made every week. Danse has it practically memorized at this point. The only thing that ever changes is the song that's being introduced. He doesn't recognize the one for today, surprisingly, although he already knows that he's going to enjoy it anyway.

The curtains part, revealing a piano, a drum set, and a trio of a trumpet, a trombone, and a saxophone. He recognizes all of the players immediately, but he's paying more attention to the person standing at the mic.

"I always wonder how they manage to look so nice," Aurelia says quietly.

Today, the singer wears a mix of a feminine and masculine outfit; a shoulder-baring blouse with ruffles along the edges, with a red vest over it and black pinstripe slacks. A crimson flower adorned with delicate silver chains hanging from it is pinned to black hair that shines almost brown in the bright light.

A dark lace fan is held open in front of the singer's face, obscuring it from view. The music starts, and the fan snaps closed perfectly in time with the sudden silence of the band. The singer smiles, and several whistles and at least one loud whoop comes from the crowd.

" _Listen to me, honey dear..._ "

Danse is completely entranced. He stares, utterly oblivious to everything else around him. That voice and that face is all he can focus on at the moment. There's nothing else he wants to do right now.

Aurelia sneaks glances at Danse through the whole song, her eyes meeting Arthur's occasionally.

The singer moves about as they sing, and eventually they end up leaning against the piano right next to the pianist. He smiles at the singer, who smiles back and trails a finger across his jaw before pulling back and rolling their eyes. It's just a part of the acting of performance, but Danse can't help but feel jealous. The song is surprisingly catchy, about the singer lamenting their lover's desire for more that could never be satisfied because their lover never wanted it anymore afterword.

" _And though I sit upon your knee, you'll grow tired of me..._ "

Danse sighs softly to himself, a smile on his face. The singer is gorgeous. Their voice is amazing.

Somewhere from his right, Aurelia is busy attempting to smack Arthur covertly for god knows why.

* * *

The singer smiles almost shyly as they take a bow. Danse claps a bit too loudly, but then again so does everyone else; Aurelia makes a face at the din.

"I cannot believe you come here every single week," she huffs.

"And you've come with me for the past five weeks," Danse points out.

"Everyone in this damn city knows me, Danse. It would be an embarrassment to me if you made a fool of yourself."

"Don't make me arrest you."

"Whatever you say. I don't do illegal shit."

"But you know people who do illegal things. Don't play dumb with me."

"Bust whoever the hell you want to, Danse. I don't bail anyone out without a damn good reason."

Arthur just watches the two of them as they bicker all the way from the table to the front door, and then as they walk down the street.

"Rellie, I swear to god-"

Danse is looking at Aurelia rather than in front of himself, and he walks straight into someone rounding the corner at the same time. Aurelia ends up colliding with someone as well, and they both look up in bewilderment.

"Oh! I apologize-"

"Shit! Sorry-"

"Oh, shoot-"

"Whoops-"

It's the singer and the trumpeter from the cafe. Danse wishes he could jump into a hole and hide.

"Oh, I'm sorry, we weren't looking where we were going," the trumpeter says, hand flying to her mouth.

"Ah, nevermind that, we weren't looking either. Sorry about that," Aurelia says. Danse stammers out an apology before his brain stops working.

The singer though, looks at Danse and Aurelia, before their eyes light up.

"Oh! I know you two. From the cafe," they say, and suddenly the singer looks almost... bashful? "I've seen you both there while we performed."

The trumpeter raises an eyebrow at the singer. The singer sighs.

"Nora, don't give me that look."

"What Arc is trying to say is that they're glad to have fans," the trumpeter, apparently named Nora, says. The singer turns red.

"Nora! I am perfectly capable of speaking myself!"

Nora laughs and Arc turns back to Danse and Aurelia. Arthur has caught up to them at this point, looking a bit cross about being left behind despite it being his lagging behind that had caused it.

"I'm sorry, some proper introductions would be better. I'm Arc Mitchell, and this is Nora Austin. She's the trumpeter in the band that plays with me. Although you already know that."

Aurelia tips her hat at the two of them. Danse nods a bit too stiffly.

"Aurelia Goldstein. Completely innocent of any wrongdoing, constantly attempting to convince the good detectives Mikhail Danse and Arthur Maxson here of it." Aurelia gestures to Danse and then Arthur to indicate who is who. Danse isn't sure exactly who she's trying to impress with an introduction like that. "And when they aren't accusing me of illegal activities, they're my friends. I suppose."

" _Aurelia_ ," Danse hisses. She tilts her hat back to give Danse one of her looks. Arc and Nora apparently find this funny, though, because they giggle in response.

"Well, I hope all of you will be at the performance next week too," Arc says sweetly. Danse nods and smiles back.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Danse replies, perhaps a bit too quickly.

A car drives up, the horn honking to catch their attention. The driver's window rolls down, revealing a man at the wheel that Danse recognizes as the pianist from the band.

"Nora! Arc! C'mon!" he says, leaning out the window to wave at them with a grin. Arc rolls their eyes a bit dramatically.

"And that is Nate Mitchell, my pianist and useless husband," they sigh, although Nora waves back at Nate and blows a kiss. Arc put one hand on their hip and regards Nora with a stare that is returned with a completely innocent look.

"Why don't you ever blow me kisses, Nora?"

"I only give back what's given to me."

Danse feels a bit of a twist in his chest at learning that Arc is married, but it's quickly overshadowed as he watches in confusion at Arc's utter lack of concern for Nora's blatant flirting with their husband. Aurelia looking from Nate, who gives her a shrug, to Nora and Arc, then back at Nate.

"Interesting," she says to nobody in particular as Nate yells at Arc and Nora again.

"OKAY! Ugh, that man..." Nora grumbles, before her face switches back to a beaming smile to regard the two detectives and Aurelia. "I suppose we'll see you next week then? I hope you can make it."

"Bye!" Arc chirps happily, giving them a wave before Nora yanks them away to the car. Once the two are sitting in the back seat, Nate turns to Danse and Arthur and _winks_.

"So all of that did just happen, right?" Arthur asks, blinking, as the car speeds away. Danse is questioning it just as much.

* * *

"Shameless."

"I'm shameless? What about Arc?"

"Oh my god, don't drag me into this."

Nate glances back for a moment to grin at Arc, who groans.

"They were cute," he says. "But I don't think the girl seemed interested."

"She was making eyes at all the girls, nobody else," Nora interrupts. "I might talk to her. But Arc, that detective..."

"Which one? There were two."

"The one who's been here every week ever since you started! He seems nice!"

"And he's cute," Nate adds.

"I dunno... but he does seem nice. And he is cute..."

Nate laughs and puts the car in park as he drives into the parking space. Arc and Nora climb out first, and Nate opens the door and lets Arc take his hand to help him out.

"Thanks, love," he says, leaning a bit heavily on Arc.

"Do you want to take it off?" Nora asks worriedly. "If it's hurting you that much..."

"I don't feel like giving anyone a heart attack walking around without one foot showing," Nate laughs. "I'll be okay. It's just a short walk."

"Absolutely not, mister."

And in one smooth motion, Nora picks Nate up in a bridal carry. He flails and steadies himself with one arm looped around Nora's neck, cursing.

"Nora! A little warning beforehand, please?"

But Nora is ignoring him, marching to the elevator with Nate still in her arms. She intends to carry him back the whole way to their apartment, apparently. Arc shakes their head, tugging their coat around their shoulders a little tighter, and follows.

It's rather late. The three of them don't encounter anyone on the way up, and when Arc opens the door Nora makes a beeline for the couch and deposits Nate there gently before smacking him lightly on the head.

"You military types!" she scolds, and Nate just chuckles. "Stubborn little shits, all of you..."

"Be nice to him Nora," Arc says, reaching into the cupboard to look for a heating packet. "He thinks it's called being brave."

"I'm fine, I promise. Seriously, both of you, I'm okay," Nate attempts to appease the two, but Nora frowns and crosses her arms. Arc returns from the kitchen with a hot packet wrapped in a towel for Nate. With a bit of difficulty he manages to roll the leg of his slacks up enough, and carefully removes his prosthetic.

"If you're in pain, you need to tell us." Arc gently presses the compress against the stump, giving Nate a chiding look when he sighs.

"I know. I just didn't think it would get this bad tonight."

"That's what you always say."

"So maybe I'm just a bit bad at predicting."

Nora rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but settles next to Nate to press a kiss to his cheek anyway.

"So, that cute detective..."

"You are not getting out of trouble that easily," Arc huffs, before climbing onto the couch on Nate's other side. "And you were the one who winked at him..."

* * *

The next week finds Danse sitting at the same table in the front, with Aurelia and Arthur sitting with him as usual. Aurelia tips her hat at a group of young girls who scurry away giggling and blushing.

"Stop flirting," Danse grumbles.

"Just because I'm better at it than you..."

"Shut up."

Danse catches Arc's eye right before the song starts, and Arc winks. Danse thinks he's going to have a heart attack.

Aurelia seems to be enjoying this a little more than before, at least. Arthur is as bored as usual, although he has the manners not to look like it. This time Arc is in a dress with a wavy asymmetrical skirt, and a tailcoat on top. Danse has never seen such a combination of clothing look this nice.

"I'm going to admit, I'm fucking jealous," Aurelia grumbles after the show ends and the three of them sit on the curb outside smoking. "That singer? Looks good in literally everything. Every single combination of clothes I've seen on them looks good. It sounds bizarre if you say it, but honestly? That is someone who has a good grip on making feminine and masculine together work."

"Red is flattering on them," Arthur murmurs, his only contribution to the conversation so far. Danse had seen him staring at the pianist, Nate, toward the end of the song, and Arthur had only glowered when realizing he'd been caught.

"So does that mean then that all three of us are guilty of staring at someone tonight?" Aurelia asks, snuffing out her cigarette on the concrete when it burns down too close to the filter. Danse laughs, Arthur scoffs.

"Staring?"

The voice is familiar, but it's suddenness makes all three of them jump. It's the pianist, Nate, grinning down at them.

"You're secret's safe with me," he chuckles, pressing his finger to his lip. "But I'm sure you're not the only ones staring. Maybe most of the eyes are on Arc though."

Nate's eyes trail from Danse, to Aurelia, to Arthur, before he blinks.

"...well. I didn't realize Roger Maxson's grandson came to watch me play."

Arthur turns a shade red, and Aurelia has to quickly stuff a new cigarette in her mouth to keep from laughing. Danse isn't sure if Arthur is more flustered at being talked to, or being recognized.

"Even detectives need some down time," Arthur says.

"Detective, huh. What prompted the change of occupation?" Nate asks.

Arthur points to the scar cutting across his cheek, then bumps the side of his head with the heel of his palm. Nate nods in understanding.

"Ah. Same here," he says, and leans down to knock his knuckles against his shin. It makes a noise too dull to be skin and bone underneath.

"Danse was military too," Arthur adds, and Nate smiles at Danse. Danse just taps the side of his head, and Nate understand that too and doesn't ask any more questions.

Aurelia has no idea what all of that movement just meant, although she knows the circumstances surrounding the discharge of both of her friends. She glances to Danse for a moment, a flicker of concern on her face, but Danse just smiles back and she nods. It's okay to talk about this kind of thing to other soldiers.

"Did your spouse and your girlfriend leave you all alone this time?" Aurelia asks in the most straightforward way possible. Danse wants to strangle her for a moment, but Nate only grins.

"They might be making out in an alley somewhere without me," Nate admits. "Sometimes they like to make me jealous. Any of you have a cigarette I could bum?"

They end up smoking together for a while, Nate swapping stories with Arthur and Danse while Aurelia just listens. She's surprisingly good at doing that, despite what her prickly exterior might insinuate about her personality. Eventually Arc shows up, a coat too big for them draped over their shoulders.

"Nate, love, stop flirting with every boy you see, would you?" Arc sighs. Nate just grins.

"I don't do that, I only flirt with the cute ones."

"According to you, every boy is cute."

"It's still just the cute ones."

Arc makes a face that looks surprisingly similar to one Danse pulls whenever Aurelia and Arthur are up to something again.

* * *

At some point, Danse has run into Arc enough times that Arc actually invites him out to have a drink together at the cafe on one of Arc's days off. Aurelia is pissed, because if there's one thing she refuses to believe, it's that Danse had found a date before she had.

And yet she still feels the need to help him pick out his clothes for said date.

"Give me that!" she snaps, and yanks the binder out of Danse's hands. He tries to snatch it back, but Aurelia tosses it aside and puts her hands on her hips.

"I need that-"

"You need a replacement!"

He gives her an exasperated look, crossing his arms. They quickly uncross at the discomfort of feeling his chest.

"If you're going to go out on a date, at least wear something nice, okay?" she says, and holds out a much cleaner, much newer binder out instead.

"Where did you get that?" he asks, before deciding he actually doesn't want to know where Aurelia gets anything. "Nobody's going to see-"

"You'll feel better wearing something nicer, okay? Just trust me on this. Doesn't matter if nobody's going to see it."

Somehow this feels like Aurelia's weird superstitions about having matching underclothes (exactly why she felt the need to explain the concept to him in the first place eludes him entirely), but he accepts that she is trying to help him. And it's true that his old binder is a bit well-worn now.

"I only had the chance to snag that, but I'll get you some more so that you're not wearing the same one over and over again, okay?" she says. "You'll feel better, I promise."

He makes Aurelia promise that she isn't going to steal anything for his sake before setting out, dressed in clothes that Aurelia had picked out for him. And despite his annoyance at considering that maybe Aurelia is right, he does feel just a little bit better now.

There's a young man in a suit singing on stage today. His hat is tilted down low to hide his eyes, a lopsided grin on his face.

"That's Cas," Arc explains over a glass of bourbon. "He's a precious kid. Occasionally gets some hecklers who knew him from before."

"Hecklers?" Danse asks.

"They call him some nasty words. He meets them in the back and beats the shit out of all of them. They come back again, rinse and repeat."

"Hmm."

Arc is dressed in a dark red shirt with a charcoal-gray vest and slacks today. Danse can't help but think of how handsome Arc looks.

"So, you're a detective. Nate told me you're ex-military?"

"That's right. Discharged and took up work in the closest thing civilian life has to military."

"It's hard to adjust, huh."

Arc gives Danse an apologetic look.

"Sorry. I don't mean to intrude. Nate has the same problem. But he wanted to do something that would make people happy. So he performs with me and Nora. I think it helps him? I'm not sure. But he seems happier now than when he came home."

There's a gentle smile on Arc's face that makes Danse almost feel a little jealous.

"You and Nate and Nora. Is that..." Danse begins, his question trailing off at the awkwardness of it. Arc chuckles.

"Yup! I married Nate right after he came home, and Nora came into the picture a little bit after that. She was one of my friends from college. I always liked her, but I just never said anything. I'm not sure how getting married gave me better nerves."

"Generally, it is accepted that the opposite should happen..."

Arc laughs at that, and down the rest of their drink.

"Nora was studying to be a lawyer, actually. I'm not sure what changed her mind, but she's always been good at the trumpet. And then there's me, with my singing. A pianist, a trumpeter, and a singer walk into a bar..."

"And make some damn good music," Danse finishes. Arc grins.

"I'm glad you think so. That's really the best you can hope for, you know. That it makes someone enjoy themself, even if it's just for a little bit."

That smile is going to be the death of Danse one of these days, he thinks.

Later, when the street lamps are the only illumination outside and Danse bids Arc farewell, the singer leans in to give him a quick peck against his cheek.

"You have a good night, Mikhail," Arc says. "Get home safe."

"You too," Danse manages to stammer out. "Do you have a ride?"

"Nora's swinging around to come get me."

He nods, and as if on cue the sleek blue Highwayman he's come to recognize as Arc's squeaks to a stop at the curb in front of them. Nora is at the wheel, and she gives Danse a friendly little wave that Danse returns. Arc seems to hesitate for a moment before getting in, and motions Danse over.

"There you go," Arc says as they slip a scrap of paper into Danse's coat pocket. "If you'd like to go out again, feel free to let me know."

The car turns the corner and is gone, and when Danse reaches in to pull out the paper he sees that there's a neat line of numbers written on it.

It's a phone number.

* * *

"You are now completely obligated to find me a girlfriend," Aurelia claims, pointing the neck of the bottle of scotch in her hand at Danse. "I got you a date, you have to get me one too."

Danse wants to strangle her.


End file.
